Combined chair and bed



July 15, 1941. J. D. BELL COMBINED CHAIR AND B ED Filed April 16. 1938IN V EN TOR.

Patented July 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE CGMBEIED CHAIR ANDBED Joseph D. Bell, San Francisco, Calif} Application- April 16, 1938,Serial No. 202,4-80

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in a combined chair andbed, and has particular reference to an article of furniture, which maybe readily converted into either a chair or a bed. This application is acontinuation in part of my application, Serial Number 124,050, filedFebruary 4, 1937.

Itis particularly proposed to provide a chair having a back and a mainseat adapted to be moved into'alignment with each other to form a bed,and I make use of novel means for retaining the back and main seat inrigid relationship relative to one another upon being aligned. The partsmay be readily returned to a chair-forming position to provide acomfortable easy chair, preferably of the overstuffed variety.

It is further proposed to provide a chair of the character described inwhich the back and the seat are supported in such a manner and are sowell balanced that they may be readily swung, by a person restingthereon, from one extreme position to the other extreme position andthrough all the intermediate positions and may be held by the occupantin any position of repose he may elect.

In this connection it is particularly proposed to provide operating orguide means for the back and the seat which cause the front edge of theseat to rise as the back begins to recline, so as to cause the back andthe seat, when passing through or held in intermediate positions ofrepose, to conform to the outlines of the human body in a state ofcomplete relaxation, with knees raised to a slight angle and the hipportion of the body accommodated in a reverse angle, the angles of thebody conforming to substantially the same angles which the averageperson assumes when sleeping on his side in bed.

A still further object resides in the provision of one continuousmattress for the back and the main seat, which is composed of rows ofcoil For a better understanding of my invention, reference should be hadto the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in

which I Figure 1 shows atransverse sectional view of my combined.chairandbed in chairposition';

I While I have shown only the preferred forms 7 of my invention, IWishto have it understood that various changes or modifications may bemade withinthescopeof the claims hereto attached without departingfromthe'spirit of the invention.

In carrying out lily-invention inthe form shown in Figures 1 and 2; I"provide-21. combined chair and bed indicated generally at I, andincluding in its structural features a supporting frame 2, a back 3having a main se'at 4 secured thereto, and a removable cushion 6;

It will be noted: that the supporting frame 12.

is fashioned with two side arms I that are held in spaced and parallelrelationwith respect to each other by'meansofa rear'rail 8 and arelatively lower front rail 9, the: ends ofthe rails being secured tothe side. arms, Feet l ll may be provided. atzthe bottom. of the. arms.tor' re sting on the supportingsurfacer The back 3 and. the main seatl4are provided with frame sections H and I.- 2,.respective1y, which arehingedly fastened togetheras at l3. A mattress l l is mounted ontheseframesections, and the mattress is coextensive. with the length andwidth of the back andof the. main seat, the mattress being formed asone.continuous unit.

In Figures 3 to 6, I disclose the mattress as being filled with coil.springs l5, which are arranged in rows upon the frame sections 1 l andi2, The tops and bottoms of'adjacent rows of springs have cross-ties [6attached thereto, the cross-ties being confined" to extending from oneside of the a mattress to the other in parallel relation to the hingeconnection [3. V p a This construction permits theframe sections to bemoved into angular relation with respect to each other; and during thismovement the crosstie 16a is moved inwardly of the mattress while theadjacent rowsof' springs I5oand 156 are deformed" in the manner shown inFigures 5 and'16.

1 To counteract a'possibl'e initial tendency of the cross-tie lfia tobulge outwardly, instead of inwardly, when the mattress is collapsed, Iprevent outward motion by means of a flexible connection IBb between theupper cross-tie IBa and its bottom counterpart lEc.

Upon moving the frame sections I l and I2 into alignment the tie memberIBa is again moved upwardly of the mattress and the springs I51]. andlib straighten out. Tie members are not provided at right angles to theties as in the case of conventional mattresses.

The padding of the mattress (Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5) is forced into thespace betwen the rows of springs l5a and I5?) so as to be compressedthereby when the frame sections aremoved into the position shown inFigure 5. Upon returning the mattress to the state shown in Figure 4,the compressed padding assists in moving the mattress sections intoalignment with respect to each other.

The springs |5a and b, which are on the opposite sides of andimmediately adjacent to the hinge, and which collapse during the foldingoperations, may be considered a unit serving a special function ascompared with the other springs, while the next adjacent row of springs,which are secured to the rows of this unit by means of the cross tiesl6, exert pressure on the rows of the unit, so as to cause them tocollapse, the flexible connection [6b preventing outward bulging of thesprings of the unit.

Referring to the chair construction as a whole, it will be noted thatthe compressed springs of the unit have a tendency to urge the seat backinto a position of horizontal alinement with the back of the chair. Thistendency is normally opposed by the link 25,-which causes the seat torise during the aligning operation. If, however, the mattress isstraightened out by the occupant bearing down on the upper end of theback, the expansive power of the springs of the unit is utilized inaiding the occupant in the unfolding of the mattress.

The back 3 may be swung toward and into horizontal position as shown inFigure 1 and for permitting this movementI provide trunnions I! on theback, which are, pivoted in confronting faces IQ of th side arms. Theback rests on the top of the rear rail 8 whenmoved into horizontal orbed-forming position.

As the back 3 is lowered into a reclining position, the seat 4 is raisedabove its normal level by means of links 25, which are pivoted to theseat as at 26 and to the side arms as at 21. When theseat is fullyraised, it is brought into horizontal alignment with the reclined back3, and the links 25 bear against the front rail 9.

It will be noticed that the back 3 freely teeters about the flxedpointI! and may be teetered about the pivot by movements of the human body.When pressure is exerted by the shoulders the upper end of the backmoves downward and when pressure is exerted by the hip portion the lowerend of the back moves downward.

The seat 4 freely floats on the link 25 and the latter link isdisposed'in such a manner that it rises from an acute angle toasubstantially vertical position while the back teeters backward, withthe result that the front edge of the seat rises while the upper end ofthe back descends. This rising movement of the'front of the seat gives"a bracing support to the thighs of the occup'ant as clearly shownin'Figure 2 and gives complete control to the occupant over themovements of the chair and holds the body in the chair against downwardslipping motion.

Figure 2 also shows a stool 42 disposed on the floor 42' in approximaterelation to the front edge of the chair. This stool serves as a footrest and a foot brace for the occupant and facilitates the operation ofthe chair by body movements.

It will be noted that the seat 4 is substantially balanced on itssupporting links and that the latter are arranged to cause a distinctinitial upward movement of the front edge of the seat as the back istilted backward so as to maintain a bracing angularity between the backand the seat in intermediate positions of repose as illustrated inFigure 2.

I claim:

1. In combination, a base, two rigid sections, one a seat section andthe other a back, having a hinged connection between the same, means forsupporting the two sections on the base with freedom of movement betweenpositions of horizontal alinement and of chair angularity, a unit oftransverse rows of coil springs mounted on the sections, means forconnecting together the adjacent top edges of .two of the rows ofsprings with freedom of flexing inward and outward when unrestrained,the said means being centered substantially vertically over the pivot ofthe hinges of the two sections, a check cord, means for fastening thecord with respect to the connecting means for the said top edges of thesprings and the hinge connection for holding the said edges from bulgingoutwardly at the commencement of the folding operation of the sections,the said cord being slackened and released from the holding strain withthe continuation of the folding by the inward flexing of said adjacenttop edges toward the hinge connection.

2. In combination, a, base, two rigid sections, one a seat and the othera back, having a hinge connection between the same, means for supportingthe two sections on the base with freedom of movement between positionsof horizontal alinement and of chair angularity, a unit of transverserows of springs mounted on the sections, one row on each side of thehinge, means for connecting said rows along their upper edges,transverse rows of springs mounted on the sections in continuoussuccession with the two unit rows to form a supporting surface, meansfor connecting adjacent rows of springs to the unit rows for pushinginwardly against the said unit rows as the sections are folded, a coverstretched over the said surface so as to rest thereon and being securedto the edges of the frame sections, cord means anchoring the connectingmeans for the unit rows of springs with respect to the hinge whereby thelatter connecting means is substantiallycentered over the hinge and isprevented'from bulging outwardly when the unit rows are pressed inwardlyby the adjacent rows.

including rows of springs mounted on opposite sides of the hingedconnection and an overlying cover secured to the free front and rearedges of. the frame sections respectively, the hinged connectionlbeingarranged below the plane of the.

relation with respect to each other, and a padded cover for the springsto provide a sleeping surface, the adjacent rows of springs contactingon opposite sides of the hinges and being interconnected at their upperends and free to flex inwardly of the mattress when the frame sectionsare swung into angular relation, and a flexible connection between thehinged region of the frame sections and that portion of the coveroverlying the same, the said connection being arranged to preventoutward flexing of the springs so as to leave inward flexing as the onlyalternative.

JOSEPH D. BELL.

